Apparatus and method for spoken caller identification using signals of the advanced intelligent network

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing spoken identification of a telephone caller on all phones of a service subscriber's telephone line. The caller's identification is spoken over a regular telephone receiver so no visual display hardware is needed. Software allows the call to be handled by the subscriber in multiple ways. Voice or keypad commands allow the subscriber to take the call, play the caller a message declining the call, route the call to a voice mail system (if available), or refer the call to some other system. Software control of the apparatus allows the call routings to be optional, flexibly configured, and extended to other capabilities in the future. Software control also allows the telephone company's billing name database to be expanded beyond what is known to the local telephone company of the subscriber. Alternatively, a predefined list of expected caller's numbers can be defined by the caller and their names recorded. Adding call screening for desired calls would also be particularly useful in the cellular environment. The caller's name, or if not available his phone number, can be spoken to the subscriber using text-to-speech technology. Alternatively, the caller could be asked to state his name and the apparatus record it and then play it back to the subscriber for caller identification.

What is claimed: 
     
       1. A telephone system, comprising: a first advanced intelligent network (AIN) service switch point connected to a first telephone;   a second advanced intelligent network (AIN) service switch point connected to a second telephone;   a voice network coupling the first (AIN) service switch point to the second (AIN) service switch point;   an intelligent peripheral system connected to the first (AIN) service switch and including an intelligent peripheral and a data server, the data server resident to the intelligent peripheral system and operable to store a plurality of data sets, the data sets including a caller number and associated customer name, the intelligent peripheral operable to process a call from a caller at the second telephone and to receive caller identification information identifying the caller number associated with the second telephone, the intelligent peripheral operable to query the data server to provide an associated customer name stored in a data set with the caller number, the intelligent peripheral operable to initiate the first (AIN) service switch to connect the intelligent peripheral to a called party at the first telephone and to audibly deliver the customer name to the first telephone; and   a signaling network coupled to the first (AIN) service switch, the second (AIN) service switch and the intelligent peripheral system, the signaling network operable to communicate the caller identification information to the intelligent peripheral.   
     
     
       2. A method for providing spoken caller identification for a call in a switched telephone network, comprising the steps of: receiving signals at a service switching point connected to a called party's telephone from a signaling network of the switched telephone network, the signals including a caller's phone number;   holding the call for the called party at the service switching point while data for speaking a customer name associated with the caller's phone number is collected from a data server resident to an intelligent peripheral system connected to the service switching point;   audibly sending the customer name from the intelligent peripheral system to the called party; and   requesting the called party to indicate the desired call processing of the call.   
     
     
       3. A method for providing spoken caller identification for a call in a cellular telephone network, comprising the steps of: receiving signals at a called party switch connected to a called party's telephone from a signaling network, the signals including a caller's phone number;   holding the call for the called party at the called party's switch while data for speaking a customer name associated with the caller's phone number is collected from a data server resident to an intelligent peripheral system connected to the called party's switch;   audibly sending the customer name from the intelligent peripheral system to the called party; and   requesting the called party to indicate the desired call processing of the call.   
     
     
       4. An intelligent peripheral system connected to a first central office switch of a switched telephone network, the intelligent peripheral system comprising: a data server resident to the intelligent peripheral system and operable to store a plurality of data sets, the data sets including a caller number and associated customer name;   an intelligent peripheral operable to process a call from a caller at a second telephone coupled to the switched telephone network through a second central office switch, the intelligent peripheral operable to receive caller identification information from a signaling network of the switched telephone network identifying the caller number associated with the second telephone and to query the data server to provide an associated customer name stored in a data set with the caller number, the intelligent peripheral operable to initiate the first central office switch to connect the intelligent peripheral to a called party at a first telephone connected to the switched telephone network at the first central office switch and to audibly deliver the customer name to the first telephone.   
     
     
       5. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 4, wherein the first central office switch is a mobile switching center of a wireless network. 
     
     
       6. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 4, wherein the second central office switch is a mobile switching center of a wireless network. 
     
     
       7. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 4, wherein the first central office switch and the second central office switch are mobile switching centers of a wireless network. 
     
     
       8. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 4, wherein the intelligent peripheral audibly delivers the customer name to the first telephone using text-to-speech technology. 
     
     
       9. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 4, wherein the intelligent peripheral is operable to perform call handling in response to receiving instructions from the called party at the first telephone. 
     
     
       10. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 9, wherein the call handling of the intelligent peripheral includes connecting the caller at the second telephone to the called party at the first telephone in response to receiving predefined instructions from the called party. 
     
     
       11. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 10, wherein the predefined instructions from the called party are received and processed at the intelligent peripheral using voice recognition technology. 
     
     
       12. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 10, wherein the call handling of the intelligent peripheral allows the called party to accept or reject the call. 
     
     
       13. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 10, wherein the call handling of the intelligent peripheral includes the option of playing the caller at the second telephone a message declining the call. 
     
     
       14. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 10, wherein the call handling of the intelligent peripheral includes the option of routing the caller at the second telephone to a voice mail system. 
     
     
       15. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 4, wherein the intelligent peripheral is operable to query the signaling network of the switched telephone network for the customer name associated with the caller number when the data server is unable to provide the customer name associated with the caller number. 
     
     
       16. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 4, wherein the intelligent peripheral is operable to audibly deliver the customer number to the first telephone using text-to-speech technology when the data server is unable to provide the customer name associated with the caller number. 
     
     
       17. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent peripheral is operable to query the caller to state a name and to audibly deliver the name to the called party when the data server is unable to provide the customer name associated with the caller number. 
     
     
       18. The method of claim 2, wherein the holding the call step includes querying the caller to state a name when the data server is unable to provide the customer name associated with the caller number, and the audibly sending step includes audibly sending the name to the called party. 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 3, wherein the holding the call step includes querying the caller to state a name when the data server is unable to provide the customer name associated with the caller number, and the audibly sending step includes audibly sending the name to the called party. 
     
     
       20. The intelligent peripheral system of claim 4, wherein the intelligent peripheral is operable to query the caller to state a name and to audibly deliver the name to the called party when the data server is unable to provide the customer name associated with the caller number.